Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: The Official Movie Novelization (17 page)

Malcolm was nearly angry enough to kill Carver himself.

So much for peace between human and ape
, he thought.
So much for trust.
So much for humans putting the general well-being in front of their own prejudices. It was only because Caesar had more self-control than any human that Carver was still breathing. He could have easily gotten them all killed.

And there was the spot Dreyfus had put him in, making Malcolm the focus of the whole dam project.
Damn dam
, he thought,
very funny
. He wanted the best for humans, he wished the apes well… but he also feared for his own safety. And what would Ellie and Alexander do if he was gone?

“No,” he said, to no one in particular. He stood up and started walking.

“Dad?” Alexander said. His tone caught Ellie’s attention. She had just shouldered her backpack to take it to the truck, but now she walked after Malcolm.

“Malcolm. Where are you going?”

He didn’t stop. He knew if he stopped, she would talk him out of what he was about to do, and he couldn’t have that happen. He could
not
accept this outcome.

He heard her call to Alexander.

“Just stay here,” she said. “We’ll be right back.” Then she followed him through the forest, occasionally calling his name. He also heard apes in the trees, watching them. When they got to the gate where One-Eye had knocked him out the day before, Ellie finally caught up. By now she was freaking out and angry.

“Can I ask what you’re doing?” she demanded.

“I’ve got to make him understand,” Malcolm said as they passed under the arch.

* * *

Ellie hadn’t seen it before, and now that she did, she figured out where they were going.

“Oh, God,” she said. But she stayed with him and they walked on. Ape alarm calls sounded in the trees, relaying ahead of them to the looming gate of the ape village. Before they reached it, apes appeared closer to them, spears in hand. He was counting on the hope that they wouldn’t kill him and Ellie without Caesar’s go-ahead, but he wouldn’t be able to count on that for long.

“Uh, Malcolm?” Ellie said. She was looking at a pair of apes who now stood right in front of them, spears ready.

Malcolm raised his arms, just as he had the last time. He wasn’t as afraid this time around, maybe because he had nothing left to lose but his life, which was in danger whether he did this or went home… Or maybe because he was starting to understand the apes a little better, and thought they would respect this show of courage.

He looked up at the trees, deliberately ignoring the armed apes directly in front of them, and spoke out firmly, but not aggressively.

“I need to talk to Caesar.”

Caesar had returned to the village still undecided about whether he should have killed the human or not.
Twice
he had given the humans a chance. And twice they had betrayed his trust.

He did not blame Malcolm, but Malcolm led the humans. If they did not follow his leadership, then Caesar could not speak to Malcolm as a leader. If the humans did not have a leader, there was no way to avoid a confrontation that was driven by fear. These thoughts stewed in his mind on the short ride back. He could not see a solution other than separating ape from human forever.

They would have to live without their lights.

His thoughts had been broken off when he saw the two midwives standing outside his dwelling, waiting for him with fear plain on their faces. He pushed past them, already knowing Cornelia was the source of their worry. Who else could it be? Blue Eyes and the baby had been with him.

When he saw Cornelia, he knew with terrible certainty that she was going to die. She looked around without seeing, making meaningless noises and rolling her eyes. They were yellow where they should have been white. The midwife with her saw Caesar enter and immediately signed.

She does not hear what we say. She will drink no water. She burns.

Blue Eyes and the baby had followed him in then, and Blue Eyes went to his mother, carrying the baby, who sensed the adults’ concern and squeaked his own. He clung to his brother’s hair and looked around in fear.

Caesar went to Cordelia. He stroked her head as he always did. She did not appear to notice. Resignation overwhelmed him. He realized that he had begun a deathwatch when he entered his dwelling, and he resolved not to leave until the last breath left Cornelia’s body.

The humans could wait.

Or so he thought until a pair of apes entered a short time later, followed by another pair—each grasping the arm of a human. Malcolm and his woman.

Caesar rose from the bedside. This was the last time the humans would intrude.

* * *

Malcolm saw the look on Caesar’s face, and he started talking because he knew he would only get one chance.

“If we go back to the city now, men will come back here with more than just a few guns. Men I can’t control.”

“Let them come,” Caesar growled. “Apes will be ready.”

“Ready for what, a war? I know that’s not what you want,” Malcolm said. “You’re too smart for that. There must be another—”

“No!” Caesar roared. “Do not trust you.”

I don’t blame you
, Malcolm thought. He was about to say as much when Ellie shrugged off the grip of the chimp holding her arm and walked toward the bedside, dropping her backpack from her shoulders and reaching into it. Their chimp escorts caught her immediately, pinning her arms as Caesar and Blue Eyes both turned to intercept her, as well.

Ellie kept her focus on the ape on the bed. Malcolm was no expert on medical issues of chimpanzees, but he could tell she was in bad shape.

“She’s sick,” Ellie said to Caesar. “I can help her.”

Malcolm saw a chance.

“Caesar,” he said. “Ellie was a nurse.” Caesar looked at Ellie. He hadn’t spoken to her before, and Malcolm saw him taking her measure, the way he had taken Malcolm’s the first time they saw each other across the river.

“Nurse?” he said, trying to prompt the other apes. “Hospital?”

Caesar looked from Ellie back to Cornelia. She hooted something and then coughed, hacking up an ugly-looking phlegm. Caesar signaled to the apes that were holding Ellie’s arms. They released her and she went to the bedside. From her backpack she took a small case and opened it. It held several small glass vials and a pair of hypodermic needles. The sight of the needles provoked a reaction from the older apes. God only knew what they’d been through when they saw needles before, Malcolm thought.

Sensing the reaction, Ellie showed all of the apes a needle and a vial in either hand. “It’s okay,” she said. Caesar came closer to her, close enough to stop her from doing anything to his mate, if that’s what he decided. “Antibiotics,” Ellie said. “Medicine. It will make her better.”

Caesar hesitated. Malcolm took another chance, stepping forward and carefully placing a hand on Caesar’s shoulder.

“Maybe I don’t get to say this right now,” he said, “but I’m going to anyway. Trust.”

Caesar looked at him, then at Cornelia, then at his sons. He nodded.

With the smooth quickness of long practice, Ellie drew several milliliters of fluid from the vial into the syringe. She injected it into the sick ape’s arm as Caesar watched. They all watched her on the bed, struggling for life—except Caesar’s older son, who was watching Malcolm. He looked confused and hostile. Malcolm had a pang of sympathy for Caesar. That kid was probably a handful.

“One day,” Caesar said, still looking Cornelia. Then he turned to Malcolm. “You stay one day.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm saw the older son’s reaction—incredulous anger. He nodded to Caesar, dipping his head to convey gratitude. But one day wasn’t going to be enough. There was no way five people could get all the necessary work done.

“We might need more time,” he said carefully.

“One day,” Caesar repeated. Then, after a pause, he surprised Malcolm again. “Apes will help.”

Caesar’s offer was not without conditions, as it turned out. Number one was that Carver be removed.

“How about we just put him in the truck until we’re done?” Malcolm suggested. Caesar went along with this, as long as there was no way for Carver to take the truck back to San Francisco himself. This made sense to Malcolm. Who knew what stories Carver would spin if he made it back without the rest of them? He would have a hundred men with rifles marching up the valley within a day.

So when he came back to camp with Ellie and a dozen or so apes—including Luca the gorilla—he immediately addressed his top priority.

“Carver,” he said, “pack up your shit and get out of here. Foster, you mind helping him back to the truck?”

“What?” Carver was incredulous.

Foster picked up Carver’s toolbox and shoved it into his gut so Carver had to grab it.

“Malcolm’s trying to keep you alive, asshole. And he’s trying to get electricity back on in the Colony so we can take a hot shower for the first time in ten years.” Then he pointed. “Walk.”

Carver took in the hostile glares from the assembled apes. Malcolm had never considered the possibility that he would just refuse to go, but for a moment it looked like that was exactly what was going to happen. Then Carver started walking. He also started talking.

“This is bullshit!” he said as he got to the edge of the camp.

“You knew the deal,” Malcolm said. “You broke it. You’re lucky to be alive. Now shut up.”

“I don’t take orders from monkeys!” Carver screamed, but he kept going, limping away into the woods with Foster next to him carrying the rest of his gear.

Poor Foster
, Malcolm thought.
He’s going to get an earful all the way back.
Then he turned to Caesar. “Okay?”

The chimpanzee leader nodded, and signaled to the assembled apes. They came forward and picked up all the gear and tools they could lay their hands on.

“Oh,” Malcolm said. He hadn’t expected this. “Okay. Thank you.”

Alexander was watching the apes work, awed by what he was seeing. The orangutan from the day before slowed down as it passed him with an armload of gear. Alexander started to back away, but Malcolm saw him figure out that the orangutan was looking at the comic book in Alexander’s hand. Boy and orangutan looked at each other. Then the orangutan moved on, getting back to work, and Alexander stood even more amazed.

Malcolm wondered if the orangutan was a comic-book fan. It wasn’t impossible. People gave apes all kinds of stuff in the shelters and sanctuaries, not to mention the labs. But it was a question for later. Right then, there was work to do, and fast. One day was a tight schedule, even with an ape labor force to count on.

Carver was so far past his boiling point that he was practically steaming out the ears. All he’d done, keeping the trucks running, making sure Lord Architect Ape-Lover got all of his gear up into the mountains, busting his ass trying to help get water running and power on for all the people in the Colony who still thought they were better than him… and he was kicked off the island. Because that’s what the lead monkey wanted.

“Bullshit,” he said, for maybe the tenth time since he and Foster had left. And speaking of bullshit, Foster was treating him like he was the bad guy, too. He’d thought they were friends, but now he knew Foster was just another monkey-lover.

“Watch,” he said as they trudged out of the woods to where the trucks were parked. “You guys go up there and get that dam working, and the next thing you know a million monkeys are going to show up and take everything they want. They’ll see how the power works, and—” He made a throat-cutting gesture. “Then you’ll know I was right.”

Foster didn’t say anything. He held onto Carver’s arm until they reached the lead truck. Then he opened the door and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Carver limped past him and sat in the front seat. Foster shut the door.

“See you tomorrow, asshole,” he said through the open window, taunting Carver with the keys. “Enjoy your stay.”

Carver flipped him off. Foster just smirked and pocketed the keys as he walked away toward the camp.

Carver sat for a minute, considering the possibilities. He could hot-wire the truck in sixty seconds flat, and be back in San Francisco by nightfall. Without Malcolm, he could get the people good and worked up. He knew there were plenty of guns over at the old Navy base. It wouldn’t take much to get folks picking them up.

The only downside was that he would look bad for running out on everyone. No way was he going to be the bad guy in this situation. Maybe there was a sole-survivor angle to play. He could pretend the apes had killed them all and he had gotten away… but could he make the story stick? Probably, at least for a while. But if he raised an army and they headed back up the mountain only to find Malcolm and the monkeys still one big happy family, Carver knew he’d be in a shitstorm of trouble.

It was almost worth trying. Almost. He put the plan in his back pocket for the time being. After all, he had twenty-four hours to decide whether or not to do it. The other thing was that if trouble really did break out, and he was gone, he would feel like a jerk for having bailed on the humans. They might be monkey-lovers, but they were still his species. He couldn’t quite bring himself to run out on them, even if they were treating him like some kind of psycho just because he didn’t trust the same monkeys that had started a plague and killed most of the human race.

It’s like nobody has any common sense
, he thought.

He climbed into the back of the truck so he could stretch out his bum leg. At first he’d thought it was broken for sure. Ellie had said there was no displaced fracture, and Carver was already feeling a little better. It hurt like hell, but it could hold his weight. That would come in handy if he had to make a run for it. He propped himself on a jump seat and got out some jerky and his canteen.

Looking at the canteen, he thought,
If I hadn’t gone to fill you up, none of this would have happened.

Except it would have, sooner or later. The apes weren’t just going to stay in their dens forever, any more than the humans were going to hide behind the Colony’s walls. Contact was inevitable. So, Carver thought, was conflict.